Wrestling defined Andrew Alirez for much of the last two decades, starting with youth-level match through high school, college and international competition. Alirez’s wrestling career for a long time intersected with other fighting sports influenced by his family, and he’s trying one of those sports now.
As a wrestler, Alirez said there were days when he felt he could beat any opponent in the world. He was comfortable and confident when he stepped onto a mat. He was a four-time high school state champion at Greeley Central, an NCAA champion and an All-American at the University of Northern Colorado. He also had a shot to make the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.
A year removed from the end of his college career, Alirez has a new competitive outlet: mixed martial arts. He’s less comfortable there, but he’s training and learning. Later this month, Alirez will make his MMA debut in a professional fight in Loveland.
“I’ve always been a fighter,” he said. “Even in wrestling, I was never the guy who was like, ‘Let’s go out there and have fun.’ … I was never that guy. I was like, ‘I want to put it to that guy.’”
Alirez, 25, is scheduled to meet Jeremiah McCoy in a 140-pound fight Saturday, April 25 at Blue Arena in Loveland. The men will fight as part of a multi-fight card including Alirez’s cousins, Zeke and Donovan Alirez, in different fights at other weights. Zeke also wrestled at Greeley Central and UNC.
McCoy is from California and became Alirez’s opponent late last week after Alirez’s previous opponent dropped out. Alirez’s high-profile status and background as a college wrestler allowed him to start with a pro fight. The fight against McCoy is a low-level regional promotion.
MMA is a full-contact combat sport using skills and techniques from different sports such as boxing, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing and judo.
Andrew Alirez, right, practices for his upcoming MMA fight with his uncle, a former MMA fighter, Mike Alirez, left, in the wrestling room in the Butler-Hancock Athletics Center on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Friday, March 20, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
Alirez is a long way from the big leagues of MMA, which is known as the UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship. The UFC is the premier MMA organization in the world. It’s Alirez’s goal to get to the UFC — something he and those around him believe he can accomplish.
Alirez will need to work his way to that level, and there’s no rush.
“He’s training with the right people and not just training in one gym,” said Mike Alirez Jr., Alirez’s uncle who was an MMA fighter two decades ago and now works with his nephew. “He’s moving around. He’s sparred with a lot of guys who’ve been with UFC. He’s doing great. He’s got it down, and he’s where he’s supposed to be.”
For the first time in a long time, wrestling is a secondary sport for Alirez. MMA is first. In February, Alirez won a Real American Freestyle wrestling match. The RAF is an unscripted wrestling league, according to realamericanfreestyle.com. In his featherweight match, Alirez defeated former University of Wyoming two-time NCAA finalist and three-time All-American Bryce Meredith on a 13-2 major decision. Alirez said he will compete in RAF matches between MMA fights.
Alirez recently signed a deal with Las Vegas-based management company Iridium Sports Agency. Iridium CEO Jason House was persistent and enthusiastic in his pursuit of Alirez as a client. Alirez said he feels more confident entering an unfamiliar arena knowing more experienced people believe in what he can do.
Alirez will earn money for the April 25 fight. He declined to divulge his payout, saying “he’s very grateful” for the money. Alirez added money is not the motivating factor so early in his MMA career. At this point, it’s about having fights and working his way up.
House said he was eager to work with Alirez because he followed Alirez’s wrestling career, including a match against House’s nephew in 2019. House and his Iridium partner, director of fighter operations and development Jeremy Luchau, have been involved with the wrestling community for a long time, and they’ve known about Alirez since he was a teenager.
The Iridium leaders said Alirez can thrive at the highest levels of MMA.
“Someone with as high talent and character as Andrew, you want to work with that person,” House added. “He’s an amazing athlete and better human being.”
House said Iridium will offer Alirez career guidance in the MMA world. The company will arrange fights for him, handle public relations and marketing and help Alirez in planning for life after fighting. House said Alirez could have a 10- to 15-year MMA career.
“I truly believe he’s going to be a champion someday,” House said.
The chance to appear in this debut fight came to Alirez through family connections. The Alirezes have been involved with combat sports for generations. Alirez’s grandfather, Mike Alirez Sr., 71, has boxed competitively since he was a teenager. He continues to train boxers.
Mike Jr. and Andrew’s father, Andrew Sr., also boxed as boys and eventually took up mixed martial arts. Mike Jr., 55, competed in MMA more than 20 years ago in California. Andrew Sr. is younger and competed more recently into the early 2000s.
Andrew Alirez practices for his upcoming MMA fight with his uncle, a former MMA fighter, Mike Alirez, in the wrestling room in the Butler-Hancock Athletics Center on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Friday, March 20, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
When he was a boy, the younger Andrew, known in the family as Boo, thought he’d go right into UFC after high school. Boxing was a big part of his life until he reached high school and realized it was time to focus on wrestling, with the help of his father.
Through Mike Jr.’s MMA contacts, the family arranged for Alirez’s first fight to be a pro fight. Mike Jr. said he previously operated gyms and coached for many years, and he’s come in contact with promoters in the sport. Mike Jr. hooked up Alirez with Sparta Sports and Entertainment, a combat-sports promotion company producing MMA events. Mike Jr. also helped Andrew find a training team after he recovered from a shoulder operation.
Alirez was hurt during his final year at UNC in 2024-25.
Mike Jr. said it’s hard to find fights for Alirez now because of Alirez’s background as a wrestler. A college wrestler such as Alirez has a big advantage in MMA because the athlete can dictate the fight, Mike Jr. said. Alirez’s background with boxing also helps.
“If you have a good striker (as an opponent), you can take him down,” Mike Jr. said of the wrestling advantage. “You can dictate where the fight takes place and that’s why wrestling is one of the main parts of MMA.”
In MMA, Alirez said he’s focused a lot on grappling, which is physically restraining an opponent and different from his background in wrestling. Grappling happens when fighters are in close proximity to one another. Striking is used at a distance. Alirez said as a wrestler coming into MMA, he knows how to employ takedowns. In MMA, he has to know how to hold down the opponent. MMA is similar to wrestling in that a fighter tries to direct the action to his or her strongest skills.
Alirez said being an NCAA wrestler is harder on the body than MMA. He described the pain in wrestling as a deep pain, affecting the physical and spiritual parts of an athletes. For Alirez, the pain with MMA is more superficial — though getting kicked in the head is not fun.
“You get kicked or hit or punched, you know?” Alirez said. “It’s going to hurt, but you’ll be OK.”
Alirez said his attraction to MMA, in addition to the competition, is the room for growth the sport gives him. In wrestling, Alriez reached a level where improvement was minimal. He sees progress with MMA, improving his technique and proficiency with the different skills. It’s encouraging and motivating.
“MMA, it’s just like, there’s so many aspects, so many different areas where you can just see major leaps and bounds,” he said. “So that is something that I’ve always loved. I like getting better.”
Alirez is training up to six days per week. He goes to Littleton to work out at Pound 4 Pound Muay Thai, a kickboxing and Muay Thai gym. Muay Thai is a stand-up striking sport with punches, elbows, knees and kicks. Alirez also spars at Tiger Beetle, a martial arts gym in Centennial. Two to three times each week, Alirez works on jiu-jitsu with black belt Trevor Polhamus of Catalyst Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
Andrew Alirez practices for his upcoming MMA fight in the wrestling room in the Butler-Hancock Athletics Center on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Friday, March 20, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
At Pound 4 Pound, Alirez works with MMA and wrestling coach Said Saparov. The men started training together last fall and came together through the father of one of Saparov’s students in Florida. Saparov relocated to the Denver area from south Florida where he coached at a gym. Saparov said Alirez has adapted well to MMA because of his dynamic style of wrestling. Kicking was a newer skill for Alirez, and the men continue to work there, Saparov said. His boxing background helped him adjust to striking.
One of the reasons wrestlers do well in MMA is because of the pace of the action in the fights. Wrestlers are highly conditioned with strong cardiovascular systems. Being an NCAA wrestler has benefited Alirez in other ways, Saparov said.
“The experience he has already, this is the best experience he can bring,” Saparov added. “The competition experience is the best thing he can bring.”